MARION, IL (WSIL) -- Preparations are underway for veterans in our region to visit Washington D.C.
Flight 7 is scheduled for September 28, 2021 and is the first for southern Illinois since the start of the pandemic, and now organizers are putting together the final touches before take off.
Several dozen volunteers, who make up the team of Guardians for Veterans Honor Flight, met for training at the airport in Marion Saturday morning. Guardians are assigned to care for one or two Veterans the entire day.
Chairman of the Board, Bryan Questelle says if you're on the trip for yourself, you're here for the wrong reason.
"Your job for this one day is to take care of our heroes so that they can witness the memorials that were build in their honor, so please if you're not here to take of a veteran, don't go along," says Questelle.
Plans for the return celebrations are currently underway and will account for COVID-19 mitigations. An outdoor venue is likely, as veterans and their guardians exit the airport.
"Please come out and welcome these guys home," says Questelle of the event being open to the public. "That's one of the biggest and most important parts of our hub's flight, is that the community that we live in and we serve in--southern Illinois, they come out and welcome home and give them the honor that they deserve."
Organizers say 85 veterans are scheduled for this upcoming flight. Information on how you can help .
